News Archive 2017

Greater support for clinical leadership and collaboration are needed if we are to reach a ‘turning point’ in the NSW health system, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) has said in response to the findings of the independent Review of seclusion, restraint and observation of consumers with a mental illness in New South Wales (NSW) health facilities.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) welcomes the Australian Government’s ratification of the Conventions against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).

Australian doctors from multiple specialities have jointly written to Australia’s immigration minister and health ministers emphasising their rising concern for the health and wellbeing of the male asylum seekers recently transferred to Papua New Guinea.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) attended the launch of the Medical Board of Australia’s final report of the Expert Advisory Group on revalidation and the creation of a new Professional Performance Framework.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists commends the Queensland Government's acknowledgment of the past harmful mental health treatment of children in state care, and supports its commitment to meaningfully reconciling with all those affected.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) welcomes the publication of the final report of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory.

The legalisation of voluntary assisted dying in Victoria is a significant decision, according to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrist (RANZCP), which has the potential to affect all psychiatrists practising in Victoria.

The current level of funding for mental health services and resources must be increased if Queensland is to tackle its high rates of mental health disorders and suicide, the Queensland Branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) has warned.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrist (RANZCP) has updated its position paper on the provision of mental health services for asylum seekers and refugees, which provides more recent data on the mental health needs of asylum seekers and refugees and strongly advocates the College’s opposition to the policy of mandatory detention.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) congratulates Professor Helen Herrman on becoming the first Australian to hold the position of President of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA).

The Queensland Branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is concerned by the sensationalist media reporting by the Gold Coast Bulletin, which increases stigma towards people with mental illness and mental illness itself (Cover up claims over Gold Coast mental health patients walking free, 10 October 2017).

A substantial body of research shows that poor nutrition is contributing to the epidemic of mental illness in western societies, Julia Rucklidge, Professor of Clinical Psychology from the University of Canterbury will tell a psychiatric conference in Tauranga today.

Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from anxiety and it is affecting women’s health more severely than heart disease and kidney failure, new guidelines developed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) reveal.

The next government of New Zealand will need to focus on adequate resourcing and funding of mental health to achieve real change and address one of the leading causes of health-related disability in New Zealand, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) has urged the main political parties.

Stress and the brain, living to 100 and the mental health of transgender people are just some of the topics to be discussed at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) New Zealand Conference.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of psychiatrists supports marriage equality and recognises the positive link between improved mental health outcomes and legislative change for LBGTI people and their children.

The recent dismissal of the murder charge against an elderly Western Australian man suffering from dementia highlights the need for the Western Australian Government to increase the number of high dependency mental health beds available for older people throughout the state, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)has urged.

The Board of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) met on the weekend and unanimously ratified the withdrawal of the accreditation of the three psychiatry training posts in the Adult Inpatient Psychiatry Unit at the Royal Hobart Hospital, effective immediately.

The drug testing pilot program for new welfare recipients proposed by the federal government is deeply concerning, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrist (RANZCP) says in its submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs’ Inquiry into Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill 2017.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) has advised Tasmanian Health Services that it has withdrawn accreditation for the two psychiatry training posts in the Adult Inpatient Psychiatry Unit currently in place at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

The consultation period for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guideline for the treatment of panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalised anxiety disorder has now closed. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the draft clinical practice guideline during this consultation period.

Join the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) for an interdisciplinary panel discussion and exploration of approaches for reducing the mental health impact of indigenous incarceration on people, communities, and services.

Te Pou o te Whakaaro Nui (Te Pou) and The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) are delighted their “Equally Well” was launched in Australia today by Professor Allan Fels, Chair of the National Mental Health Commission of Australia.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists has voiced its support of e-cigarettes and vaporizers as a harm minimisation and smoking cessation aid in a submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Health, Aged Care and Sport Inquiry into the use and marketing of electronic cigarettes and personal vaporizers in Australia,

Are you a RANZCP trainee wondering how to make the most of the College’s training program? Learn how to navigate the Scholarly Project by joining the fifth episode of the webinar series on Wednesday 12 July 2017.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) commends the thoroughness of the Coroner’s inquest into the deaths arising from the Lindt café siege and looks forward to working with the NSW Police, where required, to implement the Coroner’s recommendations.

The New South Wales (NSW) Chief Psychiatrists’ statewide review of seclusion and restraint practices in hospital settings should be extended to include workforce, governance and sedation practices in the NSW mental health system, the NSW Branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists has urged.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) welcomes the Victorian government’s funding commitment to improving the state’s family violence, forensic mental health and drug and alcohol abuse support services outlined in the state budget 2017-18.

Australia’s peak psychiatry body has sounded a warning about the undermining of patient confidentiality as the result of the growing use of subpoenas to access patients’ private clinical records in court.

Following on from the South Australian Chief Psychiatrist’s report on the Oakden Older Person Mental Health facility, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is calling for a new model of care and purpose built facilities for vulnerable older people with dementia and mental illness.

The College’s newest Fellows, award winners and recipients of advanced training certificates were formally congratulated at the annual College Ceremony held during the RANZCP Congress in Adelaide last night.

The graphic and confronting depiction of suicide shown in the Netflix drama ’13 Reasons Why’ raises serious concerns about the potential harm such content can cause young people, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) warns.

The complexity, cost and lack of transparency in the private health insurance industry is making it increasingly difficult for vulnerable Australians to access the psychiatric care they need and deserve.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) congratulates Professor Malcolm Hopwood on his appointment to the role of President-Elect of the Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations (AFPA).

Each year, the RANZCP presents a variety of awards to College members, and to external individuals or organisations to acknowledge outstanding achievements and contribution to psychiatry, the community and the College.

While the smoking rates of the general population in Australia have decreased significantly in the past 20 years the rates of smoking in the severely mentally ill have not decreased at all, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) warns.

In late 2016, a number of Board, Committee and individual members attended consultation workshops and provided input to the College’s submission in response to the draft Fifth National Mental Health Plan.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is deeply saddened to learn of the death of our Kaumātua, the highly respected spiritual head of the College in New Zealand, Mr Aramakaraka Pirika of Te Arawa.

The lifting of the Medicare Benefits Schedule freeze indexation is long overdue and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is encouraged by reports that this change is imminent.

A new Commonwealth-funded program to support psychiatrists and other medical specialists in rural and remote Australia to undertake Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is now OPEN for application/s.

Are you a new RANZCP trainee wondering where to get started with the College’s training program? Learn how to navigate the program by joining this new webinar series starting on Tuesday 21 February 2017.

As part of a recent wellbeing project, the College has produced a reference guide and three-part video series. These resources are aimed at proactively engaging with trainees and SIMGs, helping orient them to the College, highlight key resources available to them and promote their wellbeing throughout the training program.

Increasing the price of alcohol, limiting the number and density of outlets selling alcohol and raising the age when you can buy alcohol are among new recommendations from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists welcomes today’s appointment of Greg Hunt as Australia’s new Minister for Health and Sport, and looks forward to working with him on important mental health reform.

The College congratulates the winners and finalists of the 2016 Human Rights Awards, which consists of eight awards. In particular, the Human Rights Medal is awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of human rights in Australia. Several finalists were recognised in specific areas of mental health.